mettavalokanaya_international_buddhist_magazine_january_2020

Zen Practice, Zen
Realization, Zen Views….
Is it true that we can only achieve this
through Zazen (Zen Meditation)? Any
other form of Zen practices that we
could use to help us in achieving this?
Zen is something you need to mingle
yourself with. You got to practice and
realize its essence! When we talk about
Zen cultivation, it means investigation
and realization and your realization
comes from your vigorous investigation.
Founder of Museum
of World religion, Ling
Jiou Mountain Buddhist
Society, Museum of World
Religions (MWR), and the
Global Family for Love and
Peace (GFLP)
Most Venerable Dharma
Master Hisn Tao (Chan
Master Hsin Tao)
Taiwan
What are you investigating then? You are
investigating the source of everything,
which is your. Primordial Point. Once
you realize your Primordial Point, you
can then begin anew with so many
possibilities.
It’s just like clearing your
storeroom and make it back to ‘zero’.
Once everything is cleared, you then put
in some new things —something that
you would like to keep and use in the
future; not something useless and messy
as before. So, to ‘clear’ all your negativity
and return to your Primordial Point —
this is the real practice of Zen. Everyone
has emotions and feelings. Let’s assume
that there’s a very angry man who come
to see you, how would you teach him to
‘clear’ his emotions and return to zero?
Will you teach him how to meditate? I’ll
ask him to ask himself: “What is THIS?
Why and what happened?” — This is
how we cultivate Zen! So we must first
find out the reason? Ah, just go straight
“The way of
Suffering to
Happiness”….
to its cultivation! Just `Zen’ it out. Ask
yourself some questions and then
breakthrough them, and then Boom!!!
— Some realization will come!
Just ‘Zen’ into all your questions and
doubts — different doubts has different
way of cultivation, and it will bring out
different solutions. Have you ever had
many problems or difficulties in your
life? Of course, I did. My problems made
me who I am today. So, do you consider
yourself a kind of prophet now? A: No,
not like that. When an angry person
comes to you, look at him and find out
the reasons why he is angry? What are
the reasons? What’s the point of being
angry? That’s my job as a Zen teacher.
That’s all. So, what’s the point of being
angry? You have to cultivate the doubts
and `Zen’ it out! “What are the negative
effects of being angry? What are the
benefits of being peaceful?” - Just ‘Zen’
them out! So, do you need to see them
on one to one basis to sort things out? I
teach them to do the same practice just
`Zen’ it in and ‘Zen’ it out. Very simple
and effective as well. Same Zen method,
but it will give you different solutions for
different problems.
How long would it take to do this
kind of Zen cultivation? It depends on
individual. It really depends on your
‘force of awaking’. It depends on your
level of realization. It depends not on
me but solely the person who ask the
questions. Generally speaking, will it
take a long time? It’s like doing some
detective works — we need to look
for many signs and clues. ‘Just do it!’
and ‘Zen it yourself’ are Zen’s ultimate
motto in finding the true answers of
life. Merely sitting in Zen position is not
enough? Our way of cultivation is to do
sitting Zen. When you do sit Zen, are
you cultivating your question/problem/
doubt? There are some prerequisites to
do sitting meditation. But when you sit
and cultivate the problem, you need to
focus on it 100%. Your answer comes
from your intense engagement with your
doubts.
So, we just sit together and ‘Zen’
it in and out in the way you described
instead of seeing you one by one?
Collective meditation or group practice
is a way to do it as well. When you sit
together with many Zen practitioners,
you are cultivating your own Zen and
everyone else is also doing the same.
In short, you will gain your individual
experiences (the answers) by doing
this group practice of Zen cultivation.
Everyone sit together, but everyone does
his/her own Zen cultivation? Exactly.
Same method is used, but everyone will
get different answers since they have
different individual doubts or questions.
Are you saying that different individuals
should gather together and do the same
Zen practice within this great circle of
Goh Bee Wah
From Taipei, Taiwan
Zen? Yes! Zen it in and out together; we
might use the same to do it, and everyone
will get their own unique answers.
Using the same to solve different
questions at once? Yes. The whole
practice of Zen is truly a self-realization
process. Let the answer comes by itself,
which is purely a DIY process? Yes.
No one can help you or give you the
solution. You have to help yourself out
— 100%. So, your duty is just to help
your students in searching for their own
answers? I will teach and discuss with
you about the method, but you got to
do it yourself. I am your GPS in leading
your way to where you want to be. Use
me and my guidance, and you shall reach
your solution/destination in no time.
This is so far the best method in doing
any consultation!
Did Zen cultivation solve any of your
own problems? A: Of course — it solves
my every day’s problems very well! Q:
Different problems at different time?
Exactly. Things change every moment
and every day. Nothing is permanent,
so do our problems. You solve all your
problems only by doing Zen cultivation?
Of course — I am a Zen Master! I do
Zen cultivation, and my realization and
clarity come from it; and then I use these
qualities to solve and deal with my every
day’s situations and problems. There’s
no greater source of solution than Zen
cultivation.
If you cultivate Zen, you’ll gain
realization; if you’re realized, clarity
will appear; when clarity appears, you
can solve your problems easily and
effortlessly. And you have had your own
confusions as well, and you also became
enlightened because of them? Zen says,
“No confusions, no Enlightenment.” — I
had 100, 1000 or even 10,000 types of
confusions — so did my realizations and
enlightenment! The key point here is our
willingness and commitment to engage
in Zen cultivation? You are right.
From Suffering to Happiness
— Mind Transformation and
Transcendence. Since when you’ve
discovered the preciousness of Zen? A:
Are you with your preciousness now?
Even since we practice Zen with you,
we’ve found many precious things along
the way! But is Zen meditation suitable
for everyone? Absolutely yes. Continue
your cultivation and investigation — do it
again and again, and you’ll become joyful
and happy one day! So, the ultimate goal
of Zen cultivation is to gain happiness?
Zen liberates you from all sufferings and
brings you real happiness. You must ask
yourself.
48 l Mettavalokanaya l January l 2020 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2020 January l Mettavalokanaya l 49